Subscription-Based Billing Pioneer Honored as CPA.com’s 2020 Innovative Practitioner

Jody Grunden, CPA, a pioneer of subscription-based billing within the accounting profession, has been named the 2020 recipient of CPA.com’s Innovative Practitioner Award, which recognizes innovation in process, services and technology implementation.

Grunden is co-founder and CEO of Summit CPA Group, which offers virtual CFO services. Grunden has run a completely remote organization since 2013, which allows him to tap talent across the United States and abroad. His team specializes in creative agencies, such as advertising and marketing firms, and holds weekly video meetings with business owners to go over budgeting, cash flow management, forecasting and tax planning, among other topics. Clients aren’t invoiced – they are charged automatically through their bank accounts each week.

Subscriptions are based on the size of the company, and clients aren’t locked into long-term engagements. “If we can’t perform, then it shouldn’t be the client’s fault,” Grunden said.

A thought leader on virtual CFO services, Grunden offers courses and delivers webinars on the topic. He is also the author of two books, “”Building the Virtual CFO Firm in the Cloud,” and “Digital Dollars and Cents: A Virtual CFO’s Playbook to help Digital Companies Create a Financial Roadmap to Success.”

“Jody has created a business model that’s streamlined for both his firm and his client companies, one where the connection between the service offering and client success is unmistakably clear,” said Erik Asgeirsson, president and CEO of CPA.com. “The introduction of subscription services in this context is another impressive example of practitioners bringing innovation to their offerings.”

Jenni Huotari, a partner with Eide Bailly LLP, was this year’s runner-up for the award. Huotari built a national client advisory services team for the firm and restructured its CAS service line to make it more technologically advanced.

Award winners are chosen primarily through a vote of their peers. Grunden will be honored during this year’s virtual Digital CPA event on Dec. 8, and will also be joining a panel with leaders from other progressive firms.

To read more about Grunden and previous honorees, please visit the Innovative Practitioner Award page. More details about Digital CPA, including registration information, can be found at digitalcpa.com.